Month: September 2012

Toronto Music Scene September 28, 2012Montreal’s First You Get The Sugar has spent 2012 making the festival circuit supporting the release of three new songs recorded at Rubber Tracks in Brooklyn, NY. Late last year, the band won the opportunity to record tracks with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Geoff Sanoff (Green Day, Beirut, The Sheepdogs), which they then had mastered by Andy VanDette (Rush, David Bowie). The dancey, feel-good tunes posses indie swagger that channels the likes of Tokyo Police Club and Franz Ferdinand. Polished, poppy beats that sound slick and ready for a remix. Fresh off their Pop Montreal performance, this is a band that will be fun to watch and will likely make it decently far in the judging portion of the festival.

{http://soundcloud.com/firstyougetthesugar/hannah-1}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 27, 2012There’s a wisdom behind the whimsical, moving and sometimes profound songs ushered through the sweet vocals of Australia’s Georgia Germein. With a maturity and awareness beyond her 20 years, she blends folk influences with pop sensibilities to create beautiful songs that are powerful and intriguing. Her two sisters Ella and Clara complete the family affair and though I shouldn’t, it is impossible not to comment on how beautiful they all are. They’re a pretty and perfectly talented family, the kind feel-good movies are made of. They trio just wrapped up recording in Ireland with Billy Farrel (The Corrs) and are en route to play shows in Germany, England and France before gracing us with their first performance in Canada. Georgia Germein and the Germein Sisters play the Free Times Café on Oct 11 at 1 a.m., and Cameron House on Oct 12 at 10 p.m.

{http://soundcloud.com/georgiagermein/puppet-acoustic-georgia}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch the video for Georgia Germein and the Germein sister’s “I’m Home” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 26, 2012Wesley James is the real deal. His new track “Sugar,” is gorgeously constructed and the perfect tease to his new album that should be out any day now. The video (below) is awesome, the song is catchy and it’s been stuck in my head all da. It doesn’t fit so much his traditional “folkhop,” dub, rock and reggae influences, but instead branches off into a new dynamic that is mature, developed and full of charisma. It suggests we haven’t seen the best of Wesley James just yet. One of the most intriguing aspects of Wesley James is that growing up he taught himself to play nine different instruments. His passion for music, the construction and the poetry of songs does not go unnoticed. St. Catharines used to be known for bands like Alexisonfire and the Fullblast, but Wesley James is ready to shake that up.

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch Wesley James’ video for “Sugar” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 25, 2012Black Handed Kites are exciting. Their song “Up” is an antsy and exhilarating track about that terrible moment in one’s life when you realize that maybe its time to grow up a little. But at least this time it’s set to a soundtrack of rolling indie folk that makes me happy. Seriously, watch the video below. After a homemade iPhone video made its debut, Boom.fm and award-winning Cannes director Robin Goode (Giant) decided to redo it. When was the last time a band made you feel like this, made you want to turn it up super loud and dance around your bedroom and feel young and free? Inspiration all the way from Cape Town my friends, where the Black Handed Kites will be joining us from in October. The band received rave reviews after a recent performance at the three-day Oppi-Plass Music Festival in Johannesburg. This is a band you don’t want to miss.

{http://soundcloud.com/teejaytee/black-handed-kites-wasting}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch Black Handed Kites’ video for “Up” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 24, 2012At TMS we love us a good new electro pop singer, so we’re stoked to introduce you to 19-year-old ROBY. Though with her white ash blonde hair, some 20,000 Facebook likes and thousands of plays, perhaps we’re a little behind on this one. ROBY’s music is at times airy and light, whimsical and magical before breaking off into a spatial kaleidoscope that is sweetly endearing. She was nominated twice for the 2012 Toronto Independent Music Awards, one for best female-fronted and another for best out-of-province. The Quebec singer has been working on an EP this summer. Right now, she’s hard to track down online but I’m sure this will change soon. Her recordings harness a held back energy, leaving me to suspect her live shows are where she truly shines.

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 23, 2012The Futureless are addicting. Listen to one track, and suddenly you’ve listened to four. The electronic duo produces such an intimate and endless dark groove its no wonder they’ve worked with prolific producer Shawn Lefebvre (Dragonette, LA Guns, Cancer Bats) and found their tracks on Disney’s American television show, Shreducation. They manage to combine 80’s and 90’s influences with modern British anecdotes and spiraling, swirling choruses that together create something rather enigmatic. They’ve released albums Futura, Futura 2 and soon they’ll be releasing Futura 3 off EMI. If you like dark electronic pop then the Futureless are an Indie Week pick specially selected just for you.

{http://soundcloud.com/thefutureless/ccr5}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch The Futureless’s video for “Future Perfect” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 21, 2012Hailing from the east coast, Charlottetown, PEI’s Arrows In The Air have a classic pop rock sound best represented in the hook-laden track “She Is An Avalanche.” Comprised of Bruce White on guitar and vocals, and brothers Brady and Craig MacDonald on drums and bass respectably, Arrows In The Air deliver tight tracks with light-hearted, catchy lyrics. Their video for “Love N’ Morals” features a concert scene that goes back in time throughout the night. It’s a cool concept and it brings home the notion that this is a band that wants its audience to have fun. Since they’re making the trek here, it’ll be worth it to return the favour and go see what they’re all about.

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch Arrows In The Air’s video for “Love and Morals” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 20, 2012Toronto singer GRAY has that soul soaked boozey-prose I so often fall in love with, though she’s seasoned it off with a little bit of a pop rock that’s lighter, daintier, like those alcoholic little chocolates you’d sneak when you were a kid. Maybe. Her first single “Oh No” is her most supped up offering yet, with the rest being a little shier, suggesting this is a singer who is truly beginning to find herself. She doesn’t have much music available online, but the fact that she’s been working with producer Derek Downham of the Beauties is telling in and of itself. It will be interesting to see what GRAY offers at her Indie Week performance. I have a feeling the confidence and crunch of “Oh No” is just her jumping point.

{http://soundcloud.com/musicbygray/oh-no}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 19, 2012Bryce Jardine just wrapped up performing during TIFF, but it’s his album The Kids Are Gone that should be what catches your attention. The album opens with a track of the same name featuring the soulful alt-country vocals of indie darling Serena Ryder. Paired with Jardine who himself harnesses the likeable storytelling and singer-songwriter vibe of Jeremy Fisher, it is a stunning track. The album closes with another track featuring the pair, but between remains a collection of songs worthy of wine, subtle swaying and whispers. If you’re looking for something beautiful at Indie Week then Bryce Jardine is your man.

{http://soundcloud.com/brycefjardine/the-kids-are-gone}

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch the video for Bryce Jardine’s “Train Song” below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.

Toronto Music Scene September 18, 2012Mark Vancouver’s Sex With Strangers down in your Indie Week Must See notebook. Known for their feverish and self-proclaimed “robot rock,” Sex With Strangers mashes electro-pop and dance floor rock to create a truly unique sound that should get them more attention than it does, especially since they’ve been touted by the likes of Spin magazine. Sex With Strangers has been working on the follow-up to last year’s Frontier Justice, which features the track “Born Again Liars Club.” They spent the summer performing with bands such as USS and recording at Fader Mountain Sound in Vancouver. I can get behind any band that lists Jack Daniels as an influence. Top that with a splash of 80’s inspiration and consider us sold.

Indie Week takes place in Toronto from October 10-14. Check out IndieWeek.com for more detailed information, ticket purchases and performance date announcements. Follow @IndieWeek on Twitter for updates.

Watch Sex With Strangers’ video below.

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Sheena Lyonnais writes the Band of the Day. Follow her on Twitter @SheenaLyonnais.